A Message to the Titan Community From President Framroze Virjee

Cal State Fullerton President Framroze Virjee made the following statements to the university community shortly after a Thursday press conference announcing that Fullerton Police Department had arrested a suspect in the fatal stabbing of Steven Chan, a former administrator who was working at the university as a consultant.

Fullerton Police announced at a 1 p.m. press conference Thursday that police detectives had arrested Chuyen Vo, 51, of Huntington Beach on suspicion of the Aug. 19 killing. Vo was arrested Wednesday evening and is being held without bail.

I come to you today with a heavy heart, a full heart, a heart that is filled with emotions of love and care, but also a deep sense of loss.

We, as a Titan Family, are devastated that this tragedy has hit so close to home. Our hearts are with Steven Chan, his family, and everyone in our campus community.

I want to personally commend the work of the Fullerton Police Department, the lead agency on the investigation, along with our University Police Department and all the law enforcement officers from around the CSU — from nine different campuses — who have worked tirelessly to identify and apprehend a suspect, while working vigilantly to protect the health and safety of our Titan community.

I want to be sure to note that from the moment the call came in on Monday morning, these officers, our University Police and the Fullerton Police Department, ran to the danger. They worked immediately at the scene to try to save Steven. They also immediately worked to track and apprehend the suspect.

It was only by their vigilance, professionalism and dedication, that we were able to be confident that there was not an immediate threat to the campus that required a shelter in place order. This decision allowed law enforcement to immediately go about protecting the campus, while not detracting from their search for the suspect. These men and women in uniform are my heros. Day in and day out.

I am equally grateful that the investigation that led to this arrest did not at any point detract from our number one priority — the safety and wellbeing of our Titan Family.

From the moment the first call came in up to the present, we have substantially increased the availability of counseling services, and have doubled law enforcement’s presence in and around our campus community. That presence of counseling services and law enforcement will continue for several days and weeks to come.

As you just heard from the Fullerton Police, this was an isolated situation, and we have absolutely no information that would indicate any lingering danger to the health and safety of our campus family. That is something that I take great comfort in, as do, I know, other members of our Titan family.

But as is also true, all of us — our faculty, staff, students, alumni, and campus visitors — must remain vigilant in supporting each other and our police to safeguard our campus community. We have long been dedicated to upholding and improving safety measures, and this isolated incident reminds us of the critical role we all play and that we are all in this together.

And finally, I want to underscore a point I often make: When we say Titan Family; folks this is not just a tagline on this campus. We are family. And like any caring and loving family, when we lose someone and experience the trauma of such an incident in our community, we grieve together, we come together with comfort, care, and support. And we heal together, as one. That is what I know we can and will do now and in the days to come.

We will care for each other.We will support one another.We will look out for each other.We will stand together. And we will heal together.

And let us begin that healing process now, today, by remembering our colleague and friend, Steven: Each of us remembering him in the way we feel most comfortable, with a moment of silence or a prayer.

Let us remember all that Steven did for the Titan Family and all that lives on because of him. And let us especially hold his family in our hearts.